IRLPLBIO Chapter 6 Part 1

Han Ga-yeon spoke softly, instead of nagging the unusually strange Jae-gu today. Though not a drop of blood connected them, Jae-gu was like her own child.

“It’s a relief it wasn’t that. It’s good to stay healthy, but you should also study. Isn’t midterm exam season soon?”

“I was just about to study. I decided to do it with a friend.”

Jae-gu’s way of speaking had changed from before. Not only had his provincial accent disappeared, but he also became very polite, like reporting to a superior.

However, without time to think that was strange, Han Ga-yeon reacted as soon as she heard Jae-gu’s words.

“You’re going to… study?”

She hoped it didn’t sound like she was doubting him, saying ‘You?’, but the words were already out. And in a voice that trembled slightly at the end.

Fortunately, Jae-gu didn’t pay much attention. It was different from his ‘real’ high school days when, as an orphan, poor, and dependent on others to survive, he would often lash out at the world.

“I have a smart friend. As a student, of course, I should study.”

“R-right, of course….”

Can a person change so suddenly?

Han Ga-yeon glanced at Kwang-cheol. Kwang-cheol nodded, as if to help Jae-gu in his own way. Thanks to that, Jae-gu’s eyes welled up again.

Seong-cheol was already in a bad mood. He had come to some city in Gyeongsangnam-do whose name he didn’t even know, and everything around him was unfamiliar, irritating him. The bumpkin who was his desk partner openly avoided him, which was even more annoying.

Seeing that he hadn’t even come to class since a certain point, it was clear he was avoiding him. He hadn’t properly revealed his identity, nor was it likely he had heard any rumors, yet the way he openly kept his distance truly displeased him.

His father’s advice, ‘If you want a dog that pleases you, there are many things you need to pay attention to,’ briefly came to mind, then quickly faded. Instead, his uncle’s talk about ‘how to punish a disobedient dog’ came to mind more vividly.

First, beat them, then use their weakness as a leash to choke them, he had said.

A call came to Seong-cheol, who was fuming, unable to control the anger that had risen to the top of his head. The colorful, sparkling folder phone ringing as a ringtone further irritated him with its noise.

Seong-cheol, who had been glaring at the caller’s name, tried to compose his voice and pressed the call button.

“What. What is it?”

―What is it, you ask? I called because I wondered how your first day far away was.

“Who are you making fun of? Why did you dump me in a neighborhood like this!”

Seong-cheol, who had shouted, tightly gripped the mobile phone to his ear. His hand was trembling, but he couldn’t bring himself to throw it. Though he acted strong towards the weak, he had to be careful and read the room in front of the strong.

After a moment of silence, the other person’s voice rang out again.

―Little brother. You seem to have forgotten, but you volunteered to go.

“Back then…! I stepped forward because Grandfather said he was interested!”

―And now that you’ve gone, you’re saying it wasn’t true?

“…Yes. What would he care about? It’s a neighborhood with nothing.”

―Nothing? That can’t be.

“It’s true, I’m telling you. You have to search hard for something that’s there, but you can tell at a glance if there’s nothing. This place is a bust. So, brother, send me back up quickly.”

It was agony to squeeze out a fawning voice. But no matter what Seong-cheol said, his brother was relaxed.

Inside, anger surged again, but Seong-cheol was the one in need. He had no choice but to humble himself first.

Seong-cheol, sighing deeply, put on a pitiful expression for the person on the other end, who couldn’t possibly see him.

“This place doesn’t suit me. I don’t like the kids, and it’s been a mess since the first day… Brother, I want to go back. Please tell Grandfather for me.”

―Alright.

“Alri—huh? Really?”

This wasn’t someone who would grant a request so easily, was he?

Seong-cheol unconsciously asked again. Seong-cheol’s brother, who had recognized the suspicion in his voice, spoke with the same relaxed demeanor.

―You can come back.

“R-really?”

―Yes. In six months.

“Six months? Half a year? Brother, are you crazy?”

―There are things to look into, so hold out until then. If you’re doing well, I’ll also speak to Grandfather for you.

“What… Brother? Brother! Hey, Han Yun-cheol!”

Without even listening to Seong-cheol’s shouts, Yun-cheol hung up the phone abruptly.

Seong-cheol, unable to control his rage, roared and hurled his mobile phone. The unnecessarily sturdy device didn’t even break.

After fuming for a long time, he picked up the rolling mobile phone and bent the folder part backward. With a snap, the device turned into a piece of scrap metal.

Only then did he forcefully throw the mobile phone against the wall again. Broken fragments scattered everywhere.

Yun-cheol, who had hung up the phone, fiddled with his nameplate.

[Dae-yeong Mulsan Han Yun-cheol Head of Department]

He traced the letters engraved on the heavy, luxurious nameplate with his fingertips, then stroked the ‘Dae-yeong’ part once more.

Yun-cheol had never doubted that he would become the owner of Dae-yeong. His grandfather was Han Chang-hun, the first-generation chaebol and first Chairman who established Dae-yeong, and his father was Han Chang-hun’s eldest son and the current Chairman. It was perfectly natural for him, the eldest son, to inherit Dae-yeong.

‘If nothing unusual happened.’

That phrase was merely an adjective that overly worried people attached to prepare for any contingency. Yun-cheol and others thought the same. The fact that Yun-cheol had a position in Dae-yeong Mulsan, which was the essence and core of the Dae-yeong Group, meant he was considered the provisional successor.

But he hadn’t expected something ‘unusual’ to happen that he hadn’t even thought of.

“Secondary gender, huh….”

What does that matter?

Yun-cheol truly thought so.

He didn’t think Alphas were particularly superior. He even found it pathetic that there were groups in political and business circles made up solely of Alphas. He thought discriminating against people based on secondary gender was as foolish as discriminating based on skin color.

These were thoughts he wouldn’t have had if he were an Alpha himself. However, Yun-cheol was a Beta, and even as a Beta, he had to prove he was superior to Alphas.

It would have been fortunate if it simply ended with proving himself. Because if all the competitors were Betas, everyone would be on equal terms.